Running with dogs - any tips?

[Pipsquiggle]

Hello. We have a lovely labradoodle who has just turned 1. She's still quite puppy-ish - very bouncy, eager, friendly and inquisitive. She's pretty good at recall but not 100%.

I jog (very slowly) about 3 times per week. I do this without the dog at the moment as she does tend to wander, say hello to other dogs etc.

I would like to start to take my dog jogging with me - probably on a lead at first. Does anyone have any tips? Particularly on leads (I have seen some that go around the waist) and also how to introduce this to her.

The dream would be that 1 day we wouldn't need to use the lead at all.

It's a lovely thing to do!

You need to have your dog on a harness, probably a proper canicross one for a large breed) but any with a y-front (to avoid pressure on trachea) and which gives free shoulder movement is fine. You need a lead with an elastic section too. This is because when you're moving faster, and little jerks because of distractions or rough ground are magnified, and you need to protect the dog's neck on particular and both of you in general.

A waist lead or one which clips to a belt you wear is the safest and comfiest for you. It means your arm carriage is unaffected (which in turn means no adverse impact on your gait) and if there is a stumble or whatever, you can't drop it and have the hazard of an unexpectedly loose dog possibly in an unsuitable area (near roads or in more crowded bits of parks)

Be led by your dog in terms of speed and duration, and stick to softer ground rather than tarmac/pavements - especially important for younger dogs of breeds prone to joint problems. Don't do lots of steep sections. Take water and offer frequently - remember dogs overheat far more easily than people and its about to be summer. So its worth getting belt that will hold a doggy drinking bottle, poo bags, treats, phone and keys.

And have fun!

Running on lead is harder for the dogs joints

Never run a dog on collar and lead

Y front walking harnesses are not great for running with a dog

Running on a canicross harness with your dog out in front is less pressure on dogs joints

Running loose and letting your dog set the pace is better for a younger dog (if is it safe to do so)

Think how you want to run with your dog , at side, out in front and start to teach directionals when walking add in some faster sections and see how your dog reacts to you running (they can jump up and find it exciting) and they need to learn to not cross in front of you. If there is a local cani cross club that would be a great place to learn.

I run with mine. We started in places where there are unlikely to be other people and with a pocket full of treats.

I never used a lead (but he prefers to stick close anyway) and would periodically hold a treat out for him to take while running. This was something we practised while walking, anyway, so he already knew to snuffle into my band handed palm for it.

Frequent treats at first, moving to short bursts of running with no treats but always one when I stopped: so the 'game' was to keep up with me so that he was in the right spot for the treat whenever I stopped. This helped training but also helped him build stamina as I ran further and further before each stop, over time.

In the early days he did used to move across in front of my but I am clumsy and so an accidental foot up the bum one time (sorry dog!!) and me almost falling over him once meant he never did that again.

The treat was always offered and delivered on the same side of me, by my thigh - so that's where he learned to aim to be.

These days there are no treats and he has picked up that the point of the run is just to run together. However, this is not in lieu of his walks - this is extra to them. It's important he still has lots of time every day to amble about, sniff whatever he likes, go where he likes, stop to pee etc.

p.s. I run cross country. If I was road running, there is no way in hell I'd not have a lead - but my training process would be the same. Whenever I run roads, I leave the dog at home as it's not really much fun for him running on pavements, I think.

I pass an acquaintance as he walks his dc to school and he then runs in the bush next door. He has his groodle (I think) attached to a band around his bicep. I always thought this a fairly practical thing as it allows freedom of pace quite nicely. But I do only see them on the school run bit.

I run with mine but if I attach a lead he goes too fast so I stopped trying to bother. He runs off lead in front of me, goes about 25m ahead then lies down and waits for me to catch up

Btw I took mine to the vet first before I started just to check his joints and the vet advised waiting till 18 months (though I'm not sure he realised how slow I was lol!)

I would leave it another six months until you start this. Labradoodles are often bigger than Labradors and need the same care taken of their joints for the first couple of years.

Even not running a lead attached to your waist with a bungee is a lovely way to walk.